An Opel GTC Paris is shown during the first media day. / ANTOINE ANTONIOL/Bloomberg News

The Renault Wind is a slab-sided roadster. / Renault

PARIS -- Electric cars of every imaginable type crowded French automakers Renault, Peugeot and CitroŽn's stands at Europe's major fall auto show, leaving other automakers to provide style in the world's fashion capital.

Miss -- Renault electric cars

You'd think that Renault sold nothing but electrics based on the automaker's stand, and the battery-powered cars the company promises to start delivering soon are a mundane lot. Vehicles like the Fluence z.e. sedan and the Kangoo z.e. delivery van take the charge out of electric. Renault says its sporty Dezir electric concept reflects its plans to build more interesting cars in the future.

Hit -- Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4

The meek have inherited the Earth. The modest 3008, which straddles the line between a compact minivan and crossover SUV, is arguably the most exciting vehicle at the show. Destined to go on sale in 2011, it should combine exceptional power, fuel economy and performance. The Hybrid4 is the world's first diesel hybrid. Peugeot says it should get around 62 m.p.g. in European fuel economy tests. A 163-horsepower 2.0-liter diesel powers the front wheels, while a 37-horsepower electric motor turns the rear wheels. The combined torque output of the two powerplants is a whopping 369 pound-feet.

Hit -- CitroŽn Survolt

Low, wide and predatory, with headlights like hooded eyelids, the Survolt electric race car features two motors that generate 300 horsepower from zero to 5,000 r.p.m. CitroŽn claims a top speed of 162 m.p.h. and zero-to-62 m.p.h. time of 5.0 seconds. A 309-pound lithium-ion battery pack should provide a 125-mile range.

CitroŽn's dual-chevron badge in the two-seater's black grille looks like chrome lipstick gleaming in the night.

Miss -- Renault Wind

It's not often you see an ungainly roadster, but the slab-sided Renault Wind is one. Big, ungainly B-pillars look like buttresses to support a Gothic cathedral's massive walls, not part of a subcompact with sporty aspirations. Add a graceless and overly deep front end and the overall effect is of a Honda Civic del Sol gone horribly wrong. Run from the Wind.

Hit -- Opel GTC Paris

"And speed is pure beauty" reads a calligraphy motto in six languages on the seats of this enthralling Astra-based coupe. Opel ratcheted up all the sporty elements of its current styling theme for the GTC Paris. The crease along the door and sides is deeper than in the Opel Insignia and its Buick twin, the Regal. The roof creates a dramatic profile but allows good headroom in the back seat.

Buick and Opel share the design and engineering of many of their vehicles, so we can hope for a Buick version of the GTC Paris.

Hit -- BMW 6-series concept

Forget that it's called a concept; this athletic coupe is the next BMW 6-series. It sets the tone for a new design theme at the Bavarian brand. A long, long nose and short deck give the car distinctive and sporty proportions. LED lights, horizontal fender vents and a rising line running from front wheel well to taillights complete the dramatic look.

Hit -- Mercedes-Benz CLS

The brutal nose from Mercedes' powerful SLS AMG migrates onto the front of the elegant new CLS sedan. In contrast to the harshly upright grille, the CLS's sides feature a parabolic line that runs from the nose to near the rear wheel wells, where it intersects with a sharply rising fender flare.

Look for many of the CLS's design elements to show up on upcoming Mercedes models.

Hit -- Nissan Juke

It's hard to say whether this sporty subcompact crossover will translate to the scale of American roads and vehicles, but it looks perfectly at home surrounded by small European vehicles. The Juke is to go on sale in the U.S. this fall.

Hit -- Fiat Twinair 500

"Today is a day of victory. Fiat reinvents the engine," a high-def TV presentation proclaimed at Fiat's stand. It may be true, though.

Fiat's 900-cc two-cylinder engine will come in three versions: 65-horsepower normally aspirated and 85- and 105-horsepower turbos. Fuel economy should be excellent, thanks to the engine's small size and Fiat's Multiair variable-valve timing. As you might expect, the two-cylinder engine's throttle response is as immediate as a motorcycle. Fiat says it won't offer the two-cylinder in U.S. versions of its 500 minicar, however.